Double Stroke Roll Differences

[DrummingInsomniac]

Hi, I've been practicing single stroke rolls paticularly on the light hits that get louder and louder without my speed dropping or increasing. Its hard to explain, anyways for the people that understand what I'm talking about, I was wondering if anyone had any tips for the same process only double strokes instead (RRLL) Whenever I try to do it, my speed goes all over the place and it sounds horrible...any tips?






For those who still have no idea what I'm talking about check out beast and the harlot from avenged sevenfold (about 13 seconds in and the drummer does it again 3:27 or so)

[jeffwj]

I think you are talking about a crescendo. Crescendo means to increase in volume.

Pages 52 and 53 in Joe Morello's Master Studies have some great dynamic exercises using crescendos and decrescendos. Use single strokes as well as double strokes. Use a metronome to keep yourself in time.

Jeff

[Quadruple Groove]

why dont people say diminuendo, instead of decrescendo? haha

[jeffwj]

why dont people say diminuendo, instead of decrescendo? haha

They mean the same thing. Either term may be used.

[vadrum]

how do your rolls sound w/o the added dimension of dynamics. are they under control at the same tempo, nice and even? if not, start there. if they are then check out the morello book or practice playing rolls at diff subdivisions while doing cresc and decresc.

[wy yung]

Hi, I've been practicing single stroke rolls paticularly on the light hits that get louder and louder without my speed dropping or increasing. Its hard to explain, anyways for the people that understand what I'm talking about, I was wondering if anyone had any tips for the same process only double strokes instead (RRLL) Whenever I try to do it, my speed goes all over the place and it sounds horrible...any tips?


I'd like to echo Jeff's comment re Morello's master studies advice. There are 20 exercises across those 2 pages that offer a great start to practicing this.

Here is the first paragraph of the text from page 52.

These exercises are good for dynamic control, and they are also tremendous endurance builders. Within the crescendos and diminuendos, there should be no sudden changes in volume. They should be done smoothly so that with the crescendos, each note is louder than the one before, and with the diminuendos each note is softer than the one before. Take thse slowly enough so that you can control them.

How to do it? Like anything else, practice. I strongly recomend you practice these very slowly at first.

[DrummingInsomniac]

I'd like to echo Jeff's comment re Morello's master studies advice. There are 20 exercises across those 2 pages that offer a great start to practicing this.

Here is the first paragraph of the text from page 52.

These exercises are good for dynamic control, and they are also tremendous endurance builders. Within the crescendos and diminuendos, there should be no sudden changes in volume. They should be done smoothly so that with the crescendos, each note is louder than the one before, and with the diminuendos each note is softer than the one before. Take thse slowly enough so that you can control them.

How to do it? Like anything else, practice. I strongly recomend you practice these very slowly at first.

Well thanks everyone, I feel kinda dumb I didn't know what they were called and I appriciate your insight. Next time I'm down at the music store I'll look for the book, appriciate it!

[jazzsnob]

One bar of 8th note singles, one bar of 16th note doubles. Alternate for 5 minutes. For the first three minutes play as low as you possibly can(about 1 inch high) and after 3 minutes slowly raise your stick heights to fff for 8 bars, then slowly bring them back down and play low again for 2 minutes.

Start at 100 bpm and practice it everyday until you can do it with complete ease. Record yourself and make sure you can't hear ANY dynamic difference between singles and doubles and your right and left hands. After you are perfectly sure it's even, move the metronome up one notch.

That one excercise is the key to professional double strokes. It teaches you dynamics, alternation between singles and doubles(a lot of drummers forget about this and just practice straight doubles for an hour) gets some low practice in and is extremely slow and deliberate.

[h3r3tic]

So... looks like expression concept right?
To learn how to express notes from high to low, or ery high to very low... Cool!